A dream come true- IMATS London 2013!

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Hey Guys!

So if you have been following me on facebook, you know that last week, I packed my bags and flew all the way to London to attend IMATS with the two Marijas from the Maltese blogging-sphere! If you don't know who they are check out this photo and links below!

The Marijas and I (From Left: Marija aka Marija P from Pocalocca, Marija  aka Marija D from all.things.lady and myself)

Marija Pocalocca- http://pocalocca.blogspot.com/

Marija all.things.lady- http://allthingslady.wordpress.com

This trip was probably the best holiday I have been on in a while, not only do I love London, so that kinda oomphs the fun factor, but all factors including all the activities and IMATS was just fantastic and to top it all off I got to spend time with 2 amazing ladies who made the holiday super memorable!! Apart from that I got to spend some time with Violet my first Make Up teacher so it was extra special!

I do not have a lot of photos, since I decided to take up just a video camera and depended on my phone camera for photos! You can check out some photos of the trip on my instagram page: 

http://instagram.com/allthingsfab

I may look like a naughty blogger, however, upon returning from London I have been busy as a bee and trying to re group! Hopefully I will be a lot calmer and will be able to write a constructive post asap! In the mean time, check out my two lovelies' posts and videos :)

Stay tuned for my videos and special haul posts shortly!! 

Until then!

Martina XOXO

Check out the first part of my Beauty & Make Up London/ Imats haul here: http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/london-imats-haul-beauty-make-up-part-1.html

Tried & Tested- NYX Nail Polish in Algae Review + Swatches

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Hey Guys!

I hope you are all doing well and looking forward to the weekend, I will be jet setting to London tomorrow!!

Today, I wanted to share with you a review of the NYX Nail Polish in Algae which I received from NYX a few weeks ago, you can check out my post on NYX here: 

http://www.allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/nyx-in-malta-haul.html

NYX Nail Polish in Algae

The nail polish is a green nail polish which when seen in different lighting, turns a nice bluish green  (as you can see from the below picture).

The product comes in a sleek glass bottle with a silver cap and holds 12 ml/ 0.43 oz of product. The brush is an average size brush which makes application quite easy. The nail polish dried off quite quickly.

The consistency of the nail polish is not very watery, however it is not a thick consistency, therefore with one coat of polish you will be up and ready to go, however, I prefer to apply two coats to get the best out of the product, (both pictures have two coats of nail polish). I suggest that you shake the product quite well in order to get the best application possible out of the nail polish since the consistency may tend to get sheer.

I really like the way in which the polish dries, because although the polish is matt, it dries off with a gel like feel, something I am being drawn to lately. Unfortunately I do not know the price of this nail polish.

With regards to longevity, the nail polish started to chip at around 4 days of wear, however, after around a week of wear (photo taken after a week), the chipping didn't increase as much and I was able to pull it off, however, I did wear this nail polish for around 10 days and chipping was very noticeable after a few days.

NYX Nail Polish in Algae- After a week of wear

All in all, I loved this product, especially the colour and colour changes and finish.

Until next time.

Martina XOXO

*Disclaimer*- I have received the above product for free, however, I am in no way affiliated with the above company and was not paid to write this review. The above review is of my true and honest opinion. 

Diet Diaries- Update 7- Let's Do This!

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Hey Guys!

Another two weeks, another diet diaries! If you have missed last week's milestone post, you can view it here: http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/diet-diaries-update-6-lets-do-this.html and my whole journey up till now: http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/search/label/diet%20diaries

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram to see my food choices: http://instagram.com/allthingsfab

These two weeks were hard motivation-wise, I have not been having the best of luck lately and to top it all off, out of the blue my poor cat Timmy passed away.

Although I do have a target and I do want to speed to it, I am being a bit naughty on certain days, thank God I do make up for it on other days by being extra good, at least I still have that.

The only reason I am saying this is that when I do actually reach my target, what will happen? Will I go back to my old ways? Fall back into a habit of eating something quick and convenient? I know I might be a little pessimistic at the moment but yes I am kind of scared of the old Martina coming back.

This weight loss has shown me that my weight has been the thing that has kept me back for a long long time, so no, old Martina, you are staying where you belong, way back in the past.

So these two weeks, Marika gave me a few questions which I will today ( I should be ashamed, after two weeks I am finally focusing on them) answer, keep in mind, I have had a drastic change already so this does affect my answers.

I will end today with these questions, I would love to see your answers, even if you are still thinking of starting your lifestyle change.

• Why are you here?

I am here to make a change, to eat healthier and feel better about my health and ultimately the way I look and feel about my body.

• How do you see yourself when you make the change?

I see myself thinner and not worrying about my lumps and bumps with every piece of clothing I wear, also I see myself embracing my body and loving the way I look.

• What are 3 advantages for this change?

1. Losing my excess fat;

2. Stop binge eating and;

3. Wearing the clothes I always wanted to wear.

• How ready are you for this change? Rate from 1-10

8

• Why did you choose this score, not less, not more

I chose this score because the want to do this is finally here, however, since everyone is afraid of the uncertainty that change brings, the 2 represents the unknowing.

• How can you improve on this score?

By believing in myself and knowing that this is ultimately good for me and for my self- image.

Chicken, Veggie Sandwich

My new addiction- Crackerbreads and Jam!

I am loving me some jam!

Balsamic Chicken Pasta

My quick chicken and veggie meal

Cannelloni with meat- no white sauce for me!

Hi Ribeye 1

Chicken Salad- Take Away

The oh so yummy New York's Best Parma Ham Salad with Pesto- HEAVEN

Hi Ribeye 2 (actually 3 ;))

Sin of the week- Father's Day

Meatloaf, Chicken, Veggies and Potatoes- Father's Day

Barley, Tuna and Egg Salad

So have my sins kept me from losing more weight?

Ok so let me explain why there is no measurements, basically I was in a hurry to get to work and forgot to ask to be measured. I asked Marika if I should measure myself but we agreed that it's best if they take it for me.

I'm quite impressed that I lost weight, but I was told off for not eating regularly and avoiding fruit. With regards to the questions, Marika told me to re visit them in a few weeks to see the change in motivation.

Since I am off to London in a few days, I can be a bit flexible but I have to still keep in mind not to overdo it, let's hope for the best!

Until next time!

Martina XOXO

Tried and Tested: Make Up Store Nail Polishes #3- Sparkling- Anders

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Hi Guys!

So for the last and final installment of the Make Up Store Nail Polishes (well until I get a few more nail polishes ;)), if you haven't checked out #1 and #2 of these installments of the Charmaine polish here: http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/tried-and-tested-make-up-store-nail.html and the Siw polish here: http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/tried-and-tested-make-up-store-nail.html

Today, i will be reviewing the Make Up Store Sparkling Nail Polish In Anders, which was part of their cocktail collection, you can view the rest of the collection in one of my previous posts' here: http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/make-up-store-cocktail-collection.html

Make Up Store- Sparkling Nail Polish- Anders

Like the other two nail polishes, Anders comes in a sleek transparent bottle with a black tap and contains 8 ml of product and retails for about 10.99 euro.

The colour of this nail polish is a deep blue polish with shimmery/ sparkly undertones, keeping true to the sparkling nail collection.

Application is very easy and you will be able to achieve good pigmentation with one coat, however, for a deeper, effective, colour, do opt for two coats. Unlike the Matt/ Glossy nail polish, this nail polish does not dry gel like, however, it dries kind of Matt, as you can see from the above swatch. This is something I would have preferred, none the less, the nail polish was still great!

I was quite impressed with the staying power of this polish, as you can see from the picture below, which was taken a week after application, the nail polish only chipped slightly at the tips of the nails after around 5 days of wear.

Make Up Store Sparkling Nail Polish in Anders

This nail polish was probably one of the biggest nail polish hits I have had in a while, everywhere I went, a number of people commented on the nail polish and what a lovely blue it is! I am usually not a huge fan of dark blue nail polish, however, this nail polish is definitely a win for me!

Do you own any Make Up Store nail polishes? If so, which colours would you recommend I get?

Martina XOXO

*Disclaimer*- I have received this product for free, however, this fact did not effect my review, the above review is of my true and honest opinion. I am in no way affiliated with the above mentioned company.

OOTD: I've got the colour!

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Hey Guys!

The weather has been getting quite hot lately, so I decided to yet again, to step out of my comfort zone, more about my first step here: 

http://www.allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/ootd-high-paisley.html

I'm usually quite hesitant to wear shorts, why? Well, my legs don't look good if I don't wear heels with my shorts, however, that was 10 kgs ago! I am still not a 100% there yet, you know I still have those insecurities, but we're getting there, baby steps, baby steps!

So last Sunday, we had a photo shoot, more on that very soon!! So since it was quite hot and I felt like wearing my brand new Paisley bandeau and hot pink shorts, I said why not! This outfit was tres comfortable and I felt quite good in it. Sometimes we doubt how much clothes can lift your spirits, and believe me, I needed some lifting up these past few days!

I've got the colour!

New Look Hot Pink High Waisted Shorts

Jane Norman White Sheer Sleeveless Shirt

New Look Blue Paisley Bandeau

Shana Blue Cardigan

Accessorize Sling Clutch

New Look Houndstooth flats

Morgan Watch

Floral Bangles- Present from India

Asos Earrings

Tally Weijl Rose Gold Sunglasses

What do you think? Am I rocking the shorts look? Should I invest in more shorts?

Martina XOXO

NYX in Malta + Haul

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Hey Guys!

So if you follow me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allthingsfabulousblog and instagram: http://instagram.com/allthingsfab, you know that I shared a picture of some NYX products which were sent to me to test out before the... wait for it.. new NYX store opening in Malta! Check out their facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Nyxmalta?fref=ts

NYX Goodies

So, what lovely products did I get?

NYX Purple Smokey Look Kit

NYX Eye/ Eyebrow Pencil  in 901 Black

NYX High Definition Eyeshadow Base

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo

NYX Nail Polish in Algae

A number of bloggers have also received some goodies, I actually thought we will all receive different products so that we can review a wide range of products between us, however, we all go the same products!

I am currently testing out the products and will be reviewing them very shortly!

Until then!

Martina XOXO

*Disclaimer*- All the above products were sent to me for free, however, I was not paid to do this post.

OOTD: High Paisley!

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Hey Guys!

If you follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/allthingsfabulousblog) and Instagram (http://instagram.com/allthingsfab), you know that I received my New Look purchases!

Yesterday I decided to wear two items I got for a day out! A sheer Paisley shirt and a black Bandeau, something I never thought I'll actually wear! I also tried to go a bit out of my comfort zone and wear shorts for a day out, something I usually leave for the evening or not wear at all! I also braided my hair to keep it off my face since it was tres hot yesterday!

New Look Paisley Sheer Shirt

New Look Black Ruched Front Bandeau 

New Look High Waisted Zip Front Shorts

Shana Ballerina Flats

Primark Bangle Set

Accessorize Sling Bag Clutch

Accessorize Sunglasses

Morgan Watch

Tally Weijl Black Studs

Hope you enjoyed this OOTD

Martina XOXO

Fabulous Focus- Mvintage Jewels

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Hey Guys,

If you remember, a few months ago, I wrote about a new online Jewellery Store called Mvintage, check out the post here:

http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/fabulous-focus-mvintage-fashion-jewels.html

Last week, the mind behind Mvintage, Krystle Penza, embarked on a new project, opening her first physical location!! If you go to The Point, you will now see a kiosk selling Mvintage Jewels! The kiosk is located just across New Look. 

I went for the opening for a few minutes since I was super busy on Saturday, but I wanted to go show my support and have a sneak peak of the kiosk!

Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties, the kiosk was not ready yet, however, I got some photos of Krystle setting up the kiosk, apart from that, Krystle has sent me a few photos of the kiosk up and ready!

Krystle & Team hard at work

Krystle Penza- the mind behind Mvintage Jewels

Sorry for the bad quality, but I only had my phone to work it! Check out the kiosk fully set up.

I encourage you to go visit the Kiosk! Also, head over to the Mvintage facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MVintageJewels since Krystle is giving away this necklace from the Summer collection to celebrate the opening of the Kiosk!

Visit the Mvintage Facebook page to win this necklace!

Martina XOXO

Tried and Tested: Make Up Store Nail Polishes #2- Holographic- Siw

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Hey Guys!

So today I will be reviewing my 2nd Make Up Store Nail Polish! This is a nail polish which I initially wasn't on the look out for but ended up buying it!

You can see my first review of the Matt/ Glossy Nail Polish in Charmaine here:

http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/tried-and-tested-make-up-store-nail.html

The nail polish taking the spotlight today is none other than the innovative, Holographic Nail Polish in Siw. This product is a new innovation by Make Up Store, so much so, that other brands do not have any nail polish which provides the same effect. Why is it different? As you can see from the swatch below, when the nail polish hits different lighting, a 3D/ Holographic effect is achieved, pretty awesome, right?

Make Up Store- Holographic Nail Polish- Siw

The product, like the Matt/ Glossy nailpolish, comes in a sleek transparent bottle with a black tap and contains 8 ml of product and retails for about 10.99 euro.

The colour of this nail polish is a light blue with glitter undertones, which work to give a holographic effect on the nail. In dark lights, the nail polish looks likes a glittery blue polish whilst in the sun or under artificial light, the nail polish has a certain sparkle to it. You can compare between the two photos (1st photo taken under artificial/ white light, 2nd photo taken in natural light with a dark background). The nail polish texture in itself, dried quite matt rather than gel like like most nail polishes.

Application is quite easy, however, you need at least three coats of polish to get your desired effect. The substance of the polish in itself is watery and you will have gaps if you don't go over the polish.

Unfortunately after a few days I already had chipping, the photo below is wearing the polish after a whole week.

Make Up Store Holographic Nail Polish in Siw

I absolutely LOVED the colour and the effect of the nail polish, however, the fact that it chipped so quickly was a bit of a downfall. With that being said, they do have a product called Aqua Fix Base Coat in order to keep the polish in place.

Hope you liked this review!

Martina XOXO

A Fabulous Guest- To Beard or not to Beard

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Gail's backkk!!! Check out her last post here:

http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-fabulous-guest-5-things-you-should.html

Three times a week, I grace my hometown gym with my presence, rushing in with trainers untied and looking scruffy at around 7. I've been going there for the last six months punching and kicking my way in a totally inelegant frenzy. Lately my eyes always seem to land on bearded male homo sapiens frequenting it. Maybe it’s a new curiosity I've picked up but bearded guys have an extra luster to their persona and appearance that pulls me like a magnet.

This one particularly macho looking bearded guy surrounded by two fiery red-haired girls has tweaked my interest. They are always there without a fail whispering in each other’s ears as if anyone could really hear them. They smile, flirt and fix their hair tidily. They are pretty and they are there to work out but definitely not working up a sweat and obviously keen to make an impression on this bearded specimen who we shall call for the time being Hercules.

Hercules flexes his muscles in front of the mirror. Hercules does weight lifts easily and precariously without as much as a hint of a twinge. Hercules is one of them boys, whose beard makes me weak in the knees. Don’t get me wrong! I never quite had a thing for beards but lately I've been developing a weird fascination with facial hair (and I don’t mean my own).

Sometimes we manage to make eye contact. He stands there not sure what to make of it while I’m jumping up and down, red-puffed, hair stuck to my sweaty face and wearing some ridiculous t-shirt with some lame joke. He, on the other hand, has well groomed hair combed parted perfectly to the right hand side, chiseled cheeks and making working out look like a breeze.

Then again, all the ladies attending my Kick Aerobics class also look pristine without breaking much of a sweat. This is for all of you ladies who look less than ladylike at the gym. Them macho bearded men make this silly world go round and definitely a whole lot more appealing.

In between listening to ridiculous hours of music and writing about various topics and peculiarities, Gail finds time to ponder over the preposterous happenings in life. Having just hit 30, her pace is now slower but her sense of humour greater. Embark on this journey and follow this trail of madness we call life. Have a laugh and exasperate all rolled into one! 

Contact Gail on worthhundredsofsparrows@gmail.com

Diet Diaries- Update 6- Let's Do This!

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Hey Guys,

So Update 6 of the  Diet Diaries!! If you haven't checked out my previous update, you may do so here:

http://allthingsfabulousblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/diet-diaries-update-5-lets-do-this.html

you may also check out all my updates on the tab marked Diet Diaries, above!

I have to be quite honest with you though... I have been getting a little demotivated mainly because I have not have much time to experiment with food and have been awfully tired lately so I have been eating out a lot, mind you lots of salads mostly!

I have, however, taken Marika's advice and I am eating more red meat, and I have been feeling more energized but still not fully energized... lesson learnt kids... get some rest!! Apart from that I was invited to a wedding last Saturday therefore I did sin a little, however, I didn't take any Chinese or breaded foods but I did go kind of crazy on the sweet section (naughty girl!)

I hope I am not very disappointed tomorrow, till then check out a few of my food choices!

Very simple lunch- Ham and Cheese Toast (no butter)

Mum & Dad 25th Wedding Anniversary meal- Bragoli & Peas

My Favourite Cereal- Rice Krispies!

Lazy Bones got a take out salad! Parma Ham!

Simple Dinner at the Hubby

Pasta Day! Brown Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce + Peas

Barley, Tuna and Tomato

When I'm lucky to find food ready! Pork + Carrots

Simple Toast- Lazy Bugger!

Won't take credit for these tasty tomatoes! Mum's Creation :-D

Simple Salad- Hurry Up, Let's Go!

Best. Take Out. Salad. EVER! Parma Ham Salad with Pesto.. Heaven!

At a Work Event, Chicken Caesar Salad!

Yummy Fillet + Pepper Sauce- I also had a salad with this ;)

So... have I lost weight after all this turmoil?? Check out the table below!

10 kgs baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so I haven't exactly hit the -10 kg mark, but hey what's in 0.05 kg??? 

I was actually playing around with Photoshop and decided to experiment a bit with some features, so I created this graphic with some hope that I actually lost 10 kgs! Since my weight is so close to 10 kgs, I said why not share it?!!

I know I sounded demotivated yesterday, probably due to the tiredness and exhaustion I felt, but I am slightly more motivated now, thanks to my achievement! 

I also realised that I am not really playing my food up, especially the snacks, the same things over and over can get boring! So, these two weeks I have bought some crackerbreads and strawberry jelly to eat, yummm!

At the beginning of the session, Marika told everyone present that you need to ask yourself some basic questions of why you want the change, which I thought I'd share with you. She told us that by placing pressure of needing to lose weight on yourself as in constantly saying "I need to lose weight because of health problems" or "I need to lose weight to get in that dress", v.s. "I want to lose weight because..." can ultimately demotivate you.

She put forward some questions for everyone to answer individually and then send to her which will act as a challenging point for each person doing the diet. I asked her if it is possible to share these questions with you in order to help you out with your healthy change.

• Why are you here? (or for whoever is doing this on their own.. Why have you decided to do this?)
• How do you see yourself when you make the change?
• What are 3 advantages for this change?
• How ready are you for this change? Rate from 1-10
• Why did you choose that score, not less, not more?
• How can you improve on this score?

For now, I will not answer those questions since I have to be a bit quiet and reflect on these questions, but I will share them with you in my next post!

I also have some other news... remember I mentioned that I do have a target weight which I was not going to mention since it was not "officially" on paper, well now it is, so let's get focused baby! My Target weight is 57 kilos! 10 down, 6 to go! Marika told me that she set the target for me since I am nearly there so since I only have a few kilos to go, if it was otherwise, I might have been disheartened and given up!

I would love to hear your stories and do take the time to reflect on these questions! 

Until next time!

Martina XOXO